2018 Premier’s Trophy

A cool climate wine from South Gippsland has taken out the prestigious ‘Premier’s Trophy’ at the 2018 Victorian Wine Show.

An experienced panel of judges including some of Australia’s top winemakers and sommeliers, along with expert international judges from New Zealand and South Africa, declared The Gurdies Winery 2017 Orchid Label Chardonnay the ‘best of the best’.
After taking out Best Wine at the Gippsland Wine Awards, Dick Wettenhall from The Gurdies Winery was delighted to take home the Victorian Wine Show, Premier’s Trophy.
“It’s a wonderful award, of course from my point of view its wonderful, but from the point of view of promoting the Victorian Government’s interest in the Victorian wine industry, it epitomises their interest in growing our wine industry, so I think it’s a fantastic initiative to have this trophy.”

The unique Premier’s Trophy showcases the best wines from regional wine shows across Victoria, with The Gurdies Winery, one of 12 wineries vying for the honour.
“Victorian really has a whole range of small to medium wineries that really create the diversity of wine styles that Victoria is built on and to have a show like this embracing all the small to medium producers in the way they do is really special,” said trophy winner Dick Wettenhall.

The Premier’s Trophy is now a regular feature of the Victorian Wine Show after being launched last year with support from the Department of Regional Development and the Wine Growth Fund.

A perpetual trophy is awarded to the wine judged the best in the state, along with an artwork commissioned by the Victorian Wine Show committee.

The Victorian Wine Show is the largest gathering of Victorian wines at any one event and is focussed on promoting the quality, diversity and regionality of Victoria’s wineries.
This year’s event attracted an impressive 770 wines from across the State with judging held across three days at Mitchelton Winery in Nagambie